Illusion and Dream
by Suzuriin
Summary: A songfic dealing with Raphaela and Luciela's sisterly relationship throughout the years. Spoilers gauranteed.


Hello all! This is my first attempt at a songfic, and a fic dealing with Luciela and Raphaela, my two new loves in Claymore, since I caught up on the series. I'm pretty proud of it, so R&R!

Disclaimer: Ha, I wish I owned Claymore. But I don't. I also don't own the song, which is Illusion and Dream by The Poets of Fall.

* * *

_Look in my eyes I'll make you see  
We're drifting aimlessly  
Blind in a world of make believe_

"I-It hurts, Sis…" a weak voice whimpered in the darkness of the night.

"I know, Raphaela" was the reply of the elder, dark haired girl. The small, dimming fire in front of the two crouched sisters, curled up against each other. The youngest, barely shy of eleven years old, had deep wounds on her arms and legs, while the eldest, who was hitting her early teens, had a mass a scratches all over her body, each varying in depth and length. Their clothes and hair soaked with dry, reeking blood.

"They're gone…aren't they?" Raphaela, the youngest, asked. Luciela nodded to the question referring to their parents, only a few days dead.

The poignant silence was broken by soft footsteps, sending Luciela bolting up, her grip tightening on a large, club-like tree branch. She quickly dipped the end into the demising fire, lighting it, and pointed it towards the sound of the nearing footsteps. She could feel Raphaela's hand shoot up to grab the hem of her dress tightly.

A black-clad man walked towards the sisters, a small smirk on his face. He seemed to have no weapons on hand, and seemed nothing like the disguised yoma that killed ruined their town. Luciela slightly lowered her lit branch.

The man simply outstretched his hand, asking "Are you two sisters?" after getting nods from both Luciela and Raphaela, his smirk widened slightly.

"Then come with me"

_Hear them sing their songs off key  
N' nod like they agree  
Buying the need to be discreet_

The members of the organisation could see that the only one of the sisters in front of them was actually paying attention to what was being said by Rimuto. The other was observing the room around her, her expression filled with a curious fright. As soon as the two were let out of the room, Raphaela turned to her sister and asked "What will happen?"

Luciela shrugged. She seemed just as uncomfortable as her younger sister.

"They're going to make us into a special type of…Claymore" Luciela said, following the black-clad man in front of her. Raphaela's smile, that seemed so rare these days, appeared.

"Really? That's pretty nice!" Raphaela exclaimed as they left the main hall of the building and into the desert.

"I guess" Luciela replied, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

_I've got no hand in matters worldly, I hardly care at all  
What's going on fails to concern me, Cos I'm locked behind my wall  
But you know what drives me out  
Out of my mind_

The clashes and clatters of conflicting swords rang throughout the training grounds. Many organisation members stood in a ring around the duelling sisters, observing their every tactic and technique. Many other Claymores stood around, watching in awe as the two sisters battled it out, both matching each other in vigour and skills, eyes still completely silver.

"Incredible…" one trainee Claymore breathed as Luciela, in one swift move, blew Raphaela's sword out of her hands. Several claps of applause rang through the circle, from both organisation members and Claymores. Rimuto stepped forward, smiling slightly.

"Luciela, you're now ranked as number one…" he said almost flaccidly. Luciela looked completely indifferent as she straightened up and saluted, her chest slightly heaving from her heavy breaths.

"…and Raphaela, you will be number two" Rimuto concluded. Raphaela bowed, and went to the other side of the ground to pick up her sword, as the circle around her disbanded.

"Congrats, Raph!" came Luciela's soft voice from behind Raphaela. Raphaela straightened up before sheathing her sword and turning to her sister. Luciela looked as indifferent as ever, but she was smiling, now that no one was around. Raphaela smiled before taking a step towards Luciela.

"You're the one who got number one, Luci…" Raphaela replied, wanting to laugh as Luciela shrugged the idea of such a position away.

"It means we'll be separated, you know?" Luciela said, holding out her arms for Raphaela to embrace her. Raphaela let out a huff of a laugh and hugged her sister, almost clinging against the last of what she'd see of Luciela for a while.

"I know" Raphaela sighed, reluctantly letting go.

"Sorry to break up this moment…" Rubel's voice echoed around the grounds "…but Luciela, we need to see you for your first mission". Luciela nodded, as her face turned stoic again. She turned around briefly to smile at Raphaela, before she disappeared into the thick woods.

_It's whatever makes you see, makes you believe  
And forget about the premonition you need to conceive  
That the images they sell are illusion & dream  
In other words dishonesty_

Luciela gripped Raphaela's hands together, an almost pleading look in her eyes.

"We're going to try the mind link tomorrow…" she whispered, staring straight into Raphaela's worried eyes.

"Yes…I know…" Raphaela replied, trying to remove her hands from Luciela's.

"Please, Raph, don't…" Luciela said as Raphaela's hand fell weak again "I promise you I'll be okay…you'll be okay…just don't worry!"

Those words were enough to calm Raphaela.

_If I speak Ill, please, humor me  
Won't rant on endlessly  
Just thought I'd try to make you see_

"_Luciela? Luciela, where are you?..."_ Raphaela thought frantically, attempting to connect her mind to Luciela's frighteningly large body, while holding her bloody eye socket.

"_No Luci…go back…go back!"_ Raphaela thought hysterically, hearing screams and yells around her.

"Luciela is out of control!"

"_Go back! Luciela!" _

"Quickly, make her return! You have to pull her back!"

"_Come on, Luciela…you promised…go back!"_

"No…It's too late!"

"Shit!" Raphaela cried, as her thoughts unintentionally sounded out loud "Go back! Go back!" she cried, denying that it was too late.

"GO BACK!" She screamed, dropping to the ground "LUCIELAAAAAA!"

_It doesn't solve a thing to dress it in a pretty gown  
A stone will not need you to guess if  
You're still going to drown  
So you know what drives me out  
Out of my mind_

"Stripped of my number…" Raphaela thought, almost stoically "Sister an Abyssal One…eye gone…all too realistic"

Her cloak was flapping around in the harsh wind as she walked out of the organisation, 'dead', as they liked to call her. She was wearing an almost bitter smile as she past the training grounds, glancing at each young girl, with hair slowly lightening, going through the same pain that Luciela and herself did not that many years ago.

Thoughts kept running through each other in her head, cutting each other off and asking questions. 'How will I be 'dead'?' and 'where will I go?' were not questions, as most would ask themselves.

"_Where is Luciela?"_

"_How is Luciela dealing with this?"_

"_Should I save Luciela?"_

"_No…I should…no, need to kill her" _Raphaela thought, her eyes narrowing as she pulled up her hood _"That's the sad truth"_

_It's whatever makes you see, makes you believe  
And forget about the premonition you need to conceive  
That the images they sell are illusion & dream  
In other words dishonesty_

"_I've lost count" _Raphaela thought bitterly, staring at the rain that was slowly making her mood turn for the worse _"Years…maybe decades…I still haven't found her…"_

The footsteps she could hear from the distance were slowly getting louder. Raphaela only slouched lower. She could probably kill whoever it was in a heartbeat with that sharp rock to her right.

"Gosh! What a terrible rain!" exclaimed the irritatingly familiar voice of Rubel as he entered the cave "Doesn't look like it will stop any time soon, either"

"Good job…" Raphaela started, as indifferent looking as her sister would be "Finding me here"

"Maybe I can't read Yoma energy" Rubel said, stopping just in front of Raphaela "But my intuition works pretty well" he paused for a minute, then spoke up.

"Then again, even if I could…it would be futile to look for you like that, with the way you are now" he said, still wearing his same grating smile, saying the right things that grated on Raphaela's nerves.

"So?" Raphaela asked, still keeping a calm expression "What business do you have with the deceased?"

"Teresa is dead" Rubel said simply, his smile faltering for a second. Raphaela's eyes widened in surprise, but only slightly, as Rubel continued.

"At the same time we lost numbers two to four" he paused, as if wanting a dramatic effect before continuing "The result of the next candidate for number one awakening. She was still extremely inexperienced as a Claymore. Even so, something with power that rivals the Abyssal Ones was born". Raphaela stayed silent, waiting for the next part of the story. Realising that he had finished, she spoke up.

"And…what exactly are you telling me to do?" she asked calmly, getting less curious about the reason of his visit. It was pretty obvious, to Raphaela.

"Return to the organisation" Rubel said "You will be given a number, too. Losing all of the present numbers one down to four and even the next candidate for number one, the organisation is short on people. We want everyone with even a little power on our side…and keeping your aura hidden like that…we want you to engage in covert ops for the organisation".

"What is my gain…if I comply with this order?" Raphaela asked, not hesitating for a second. Rubel's smile widened.

"Information on the Abyssal One of the South, Luciela" Rubel replied. Raphaela's brows furrowed.

"_This is it" _Raphaela thought, hardly taking in the information Rubel continued to give her.

"Come, Raphaela" Rubel said, stretching out a hand "We need your power".

Raphaela took no hesitance to reach out for Rubel's hand in return.

_So can you name your demon?  
Understand it's scheming  
I raise my glass and say "Here's to you"  
_

It was haunting. It was haunting to hear the roars and crashes of the polar opposite Abyssal Ones fighting.

Raphaela closed her eyes and scooped up some water between her hands. It was disgusting water, mixed with blood and dirt, but it have to do. Raphaela slowly splashed the water over her dry skin. The crashing sounds stopped for a seldom second, then started up again, getting closer to the river.

Raphaela tensed up and drew her sword, getting off her knees to stand in the middle of the river. To her immense lack of surprise, the form of a familiar dark haired woman came crashing through the woods and into the river.

"I can't…keep my awakened form" Luciela gasped, crouching down in the water, unaware of her sister that was standing only a few meters away "I used too much energy…damn…at this rate he will…" Luciela trailed off as Raphaela took a few steps toward her sister. Luciela turned around, and Raphaela loosened the grip on her sword.

"Rapha…ela…"

_  
Can you chase your demon?  
Or will it take your freedom?  
I raise my glass and say "Here's to you"_

"That hurts, Raphaela…my whole body is exhausted so I'm a little…" Luciela sighed as Raphaela pressed against her naked back. Raphaela leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"Sister…I'm so sorry, sister" Raphaela whispered, a little less affectionate than last time "At that time…if only I had only been stronger" she finished, and she pressed down on Luciela's back with all her strength.

"Wha…what?! What are you doing, Raphaela? What are you doing?!" Luciela cried, as Raphaela only pressed down harder.

"Please, stop it!" Luciela wailed hysterically "Raphaela, why…I wanted to see you all this time! All this time! So why?!"

"I'll give you half of all those lands…no, if you want that, even more! Much, much more!" Luciela screamed as Raphaela pressed harder "So please, please!" she screamed, before a deafening crack. Luciela's hands fell limply into the stream, as her voice just seemed to have disappeared.

Raphaela smiled solemnly as she let go of her sister, bending down to whisper in her ear again.

"I love you" she whispered affectionately "big sister"

_With silence comes peace  
With peace comes freedom  
With freedom comes silence_


End file.
